1. Set SMART goals

The concept of SMART goals has been around for decades, but they are so important to your social media presence today. In short, brands should set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. An example of a good SMART goal for social media marketing would be something like “We’ll increase our Twitter response rate by 25% by the end of the first quarter.”

2. Identify your audience

Maybe it’s prospective customers. Perhaps it’s industry players and influencers. Either way, breaking down your audience will help you figure out the following:

  • Which social media sites you’re active on
  • Your posting schedule
  • The type of content you publish
  • Your brand’s voice
  • The information in your profiles
Many brands spin their wheels because they don’t post content that speaks to a defined audience. Spend some time looking at your audience personas, understanding what their challenges are and what brands they already love via social.

3. Be human

One of the worst mistakes to make on social media is coming off as the faceless corporation with zero personality. In the modern age of transparency, people want to get to know your company on a more personal level. Many brands today crack jokes and aren’t afraid to talk to their followers like they would their friends.

4. Seek relationships, not just followers

That said, having 100 followers who regularly engage with you and your content are infinitely more valuable than 10,000 that ignore you. It might be cliche to say, but don’t leave the “social” out of your social media presence. The beauty of social is that you can form relationships in an instant with followers from just about anywhere.

5. Create an editorial calendar

If there’s a common thread between the biggest brands on social, it’s that they post on a consistent basis.

Chances are you’re juggling multiple social channels and are trying to make sure you tick a lot of boxes in terms of descriptions and when to post, right? Consider how a content calendar can make the process much easier by…

  • Allowing you to fine-tune each of your posts for each platform without having to jump between sites.
  • Timing your posts to maximize engagement, keeping you from having to constantly post in real-time.
  • Avoid repeating the same content over and over again, ensuring each of your articles or pictures gets the most love possible.

6. Automate the right way

Automation is all the rage in marketing right now, and for good reason. However, you can’t expect to successfully put your social presence on autopilot and walk away.

For example, mass auto-replying has gone the way of the dinosaur as it typically comes across as insincere. This now-classic tweet from Bank of America is a good example of how to turn your social followers off via improper automation.

7. Focus on helping over selling

Although social selling is indeed on the rise, rarely should your social media presence be about the “hard sell.”

Sure, if you’re in ecommerce it makes sense to push offers and deals to your followers. What’s more important, though, is answering the questions of followers whether through replies or content marketing. If your followers ask a question, you should respond in a timely manner. And if your followers seem to be buzzing about a particular problem, you should craft content that speaks directly to it.

8. Optimize your accounts for engagement

First thing’s first: don’t let the word “optimization” freak you out. Unlike SEO, social media optimization isn’t particularly technical. That said, profiles can be optimized through imagery, keywords and fully filling out your account information.

For example, brands can use their Instagram bio to link to promotions, advertise their hashtag and let their brand’s voice be heard. And as noted in our guide for conducting a Facebook audit, a fully optimized page with complete business info can actually help your page rank better in Google.

9. When in doubt, get visual

No matter where you’re posting, photo and video content are totally killing it right now. Instagram’s image-based platform is exploding. Facebook notes that Live videos get six times the engagement versus any other type of content.

The good news is that getting visual doesn’t mean you need any sort of insane equipment or a full-blown production budget. Instead, consider imagery such as:

  • Team photos or videos
  • Photos of customers
  • Photos of events
  • Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
  • Quote photos
  • Infographics

10. Make your presence known

If you’ve gone through the legwork of growing your social media presence, you need to let the world know.

From homepage feeds to icons on your site footer or email signature, anyone who comes in contact with your brand should only be a click away from becoming a long-term follower. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram feeds can all be easily integrated into your site with little more than a copy-paste code.